


Luna, Hermione and the Chamber of Secrets

by ConM01



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-09-05
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:33:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26200435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ConM01/pseuds/ConM01
Summary: Luna, Hermione and their Hogwarts classmates struggle through the events of the second book in a world where the Whomping Willow tragically killed Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. Can Hermione cope without her two best friends? Will Luna get over the incident that reminds her so much of her mother's death? And will Hogwarts survive a new threat without Harry there to save the day?
Kudos: 4





	1. The Whomping Willow

Hermione Granger climbed out of a carriage in front of the Hogwarts school gates. The wind instantly swept her bushy hair up into a frenzy atop her head just as it had when she stepped off the Hogwarts Express and onto the platform. Again, she looked around for any sign of Harry and Ron, her closest friends as of last year. They never got on the train at Kings Cross, although she had waited to get on right up until the train was already moving. She supposed she might see them in the Great Hall for the welcome feast and sorting ceremony. She did worry though as, based on their exploits last year, they could be anywhere right now getting into all sorts of trouble.

As she sat down at the Gryffindor table, she again peered around at the numerous students but still couldn’t see them anywhere. What if they were here but had decided they weren’t going to talk to her? Had she annoyed them that much last year? They seemed to be happy to see her when they had met at Diagon Alley just a week before. She desperately hoped they weren’t just pretending to be her friends but bullying her behind her back like the girls at her primary school had done. She was still uncertain as the first years entered the room but decided to put her feeling aside to see what house Ginny would get sorted into. How could Ron miss this? His own sister was being sorted and he wasn’t there to see it. Typical.

Her thoughts had stayed on Harry and Ron all through the feast. She only ate a small plate of food and didn’t have much of an appetite despite the mountains of food in front of her. As she climbed the long staircase up to the Gryffindor tower, Professor McGonagall rounded a corner, stopping before her with a solemn look on her face.

“Miss Granger” her voice almost cracking “I think you should come with me”

...

Luna Lovegood stepped up to the stool at the front of the great hall. Turning to sit, she noted several apprehensive expressions etched on the faces of her fellow first years. She felt the sorting hat’s weight on her head, and it slipped down over her eyes. For a second, there was just darkness but then a voice spoke, as if only to her.

“Ahh, I see, a Lovegood”

“Yes, hello I’m Luna”

“Yes, yes I know” the voice seemed impatient but spoke after a short pause, “I don’t think you’re much of a Slytherin”

“Oh no, me neither”

The hat continued.

“Gryffindor? No that’s not right either”

“I shouldn’t think so”

“You are clearly loyal and caring. You could do well in Hufflepuff, but you struggle making those friends to be loyal to.”

“Well I don’t mind either way”

“Yes of course you don’t” the hat seemed to sneer.

“Well what will it be then?”

“Well how about you decide?” the hat suggested “You could be comfortable and happy in Hufflepuff if you can make those friends that will support you. However, you are clearly very keen to learn about the world around you. For this, Ravenclaw will guide you to greatness if you are willing to devote your time to it”

“Hmm… well I suppose it better be Ravenclaw then. I’ve never been any good at making friends”

“As you wish… RAVENCLAW” the hat bellowed. 

McGonagall lifted the hat from Luna’s head, and she heard a light applause from the Ravenclaw table. The confused looks of the first years had turned into looks you would give an especially foul-smelling pumpkin pasty. However, Luna wasn’t dejected and skipped down to a spare seat at the Ravenclaw table. It only dawned on her a few moments later that she was probably the only person who could hear the sorting hat’s voice and that, for a few minutes, she had spoken out loud to no one. She soon forgot about that though as the tables were filled with delicious food and she helped herself to a plate. She ate as much as she could manage, trying to try a bit from every dish.

None of Luna’s fellow housemates had bothered to talk to the small blonde first-year but she didn’t mind. After trying, and failing, to entertain herself by making a mashed potato mountain, she decided to slip out of the hall and try to see some other parts of the huge castle she now called home. Nobody noticed. Every student and teacher were fully absorbed in whatever they had piled on their plate.

The cold stone floor made her feet tingle as she slipped her shoes off. She liked to walk in the garden with no shoes on at home so she decided she would do that here as well. She followed the source of the cold draught that chilled her ankles and found herself at the main entrance. Stepping outside, the cold night air hit her and sent a shiver right down her spine. But she wasn’t scared or in any discomfort. Luna could feel the Hogwarts air for the first time.

She looked up at the stars, it looked different to the sky she knew. A blinking light caught her attention suddenly. It seemed to be growing larger and brighter and it bobbed like a boat on the ocean, yet it was in the sky. She heard a spluttering sound as the light hurtled downwards without warning. It was close enough now that Luna could see what it was, a car. There seemed to be people inside it.

Climbing onto a low wall for a better view, Luna watched the car plummet further and further down before careening into a large tree with a tremendous crash. She didn’t know what to do, her feet stood rooted to the spot. The car crumpled as it hit the tree, but it didn’t fall, it settled in the branches. But the great boughs of the tree were moving! One of the largest swung its full weight on top of the car, crushing the roof down and popping the trunk open. An owl cage and two trunks spilled out and hit the floor, bursting open on impact. Another large branch decided the passengers’ fate as it completely crumpled the roof and flattened the car. Luna screamed and her vision went black as her bare feet left the rock and her head bounced off the soft grass below.


	2. Luna and Hermione

The giant stone gargoyle that sprang to life at McGonagall’s words would have been jaw-dropping to Hermione had she not felt very scared and nervous about the fate of her friends. As they ascended the spiral stairs to the office of Professor Dumbledore, she began to fear the worst. McGonagall knocked and the door swung open to reveal a whole cast of characters. Snape stood in a corner of the office inspecting a whizzing, spinning object from the shelf behind him. Fudge stood in front of the desk clutching his bowler hat staring straight at the ground. A small girl with mousey blonde hair was sat in front of a shelf of books on the left side of the entrance. Dumbledore was the only one to respond to their presence and stood up from his desk to welcome them in in his own sombre tone. He waved his wand and a chair appeared which he beckoned Hermione towards. She sat as McGonagall moved to the perch of a large red bird and turned around to face her.

“Miss Granger” Dumbledore started “I’m afraid there has been a most tragic accident”

“Harry and Ron?” Hermione asked but she knew what the answer would be.

“Yes I’m very sorry to tell you that they may not make it through the night” he looked at the ground as Hermione let out a sob “We don’t know why, but they flew Arthur Weasley’s enchanted car here from Kings Cross Station”

“Unfortunately, it seems the car malfunctioned, and they crashed into the whomping willow” he sighed deeply.

Hermione had tears welling in her eyes and her voice cracked as she spoke “Where are they?”

“St Mungos” Dumbledore replied “we are in correspondence with the hospital and will be the first to know what happens”

“What about Ginny, Ron’s sister?”

McGonagall now spoke, “the Weasley family have been informed of the incident and Ginny, Fred, George and Percy will be travelling to the hospital by floo powder in an hour”

Hermione broke down. The thought of little Ginny having to see her brother in a hospital bed was too much to bear. She felt two arms around her and opened her eyes to see nothing but blonde hair. It was the first-year girl. Hermione didn’t even know her but returned the hug anyway. She felt instantly warmer and managed to compose herself, at which point the first-year girl returned to her seat, giving her a reassuring smile.

“Luna here was unfortunate enough to witness this tragedy” Dumbledore gestured towards the small girl. He paused and turned away, leaning on his desk, “this really is a sad day for this school”

“and for Gryffindor house” McGonagall added in a somber tone “Now Miss Granger, no one knows about what has happened yet but we will be letting the students know what is happening as soon as we get word from St Mungos so you don’t get harassed by students asking questions”

She now addressed Luna “Miss Lovegood, we have arranged for someone to come to the school to check that you are ok tomorrow. I will seek you out when they arrive so just try and get some rest until then ok?”

Luna nodded.

Dumbledore spoke once more, “We understand this will be a very hard time for you both so we have let your teachers know that you won’t be in your lessons for a week and they have been very understanding and will help you catch up”

Hermione very much doubted Snape had agreed to this but that wasn’t important right now.

“You may both leave now, do try and get some rest” McGonagall had a very forced smile on her face. She was clearly shaken by the whole situation too.

The two girls stood up and made their way to the door before heading down the spiral stairs. Hermione didn’t take her eyes off the stone floor the entire walk to the entrance hall. Luna kept glancing at her as if she was a bomb that was about to go off. They stopped and Hermione seemed to notice her for the first time.

“Oh, hello” she said in a distracted tone “are you in Gryffindor then?”

Luna shook her head and replied “Ravenclaw”

“Oh. You should have turned off a while ago” Hermione responded before seeming to snap out of her thinking “How silly of me. You won’t know the way will you. Come on I’ll show you”

Luna stayed where she was, shuffling her feet.

“What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

Luna said something very quietly to the floor.

Hermione walked back to the girl, “Sorry I didn’t catch that”

Luna repeated her question to which Hermione hugged her in response.

“Of course, you can” the tears had returned to her eyes “You must be very shaken up”

They ascended the many steps to Gryffindor tower and Hermione recounted the scary things that had happened to her last year and how Harry and Ron had saved her. Luna was so small that she easily hid behind Hermione as she recited the password to the Fat Lady, who promptly swung open. A few eyes met the girls as they entered the common room but most of them swiftly returned to their games of wizard chess or, in rare cases, their books. They had almost reached the stairs to the girls’ dormitory when Percy Weasley strode towards them through the many students and pieces of furniture.

“Ah there you are” he noticed Luna “Oh hello you must be another first year. We’ve already had two others arrive late. The castle can be quite confusing when you first come here. Well, that’s what I’ve been told because I worked it out before I even came”

Hermione clutched Luna’s hand before reassuring Percy that Luna wasn’t a new Gryffindor. Her mind was racing to think of an excuse but, by a stroke of luck, Fred and George set off a Filibuster’s Firework before Percy could respond. He instantly whipped around, giving the twins a heavy scowl. Hermione thought this was probably a good time to get out of there and she ushered Luna up the stairs. As they closed the dormitory door behind them, they heard Percy telling off Fred and George who insisted it wasn’t their doing.

Lavender was already in her bed asleep, so Hermione turned to the small girl and pressed her finger to her lips before tiptoeing to her bed. They both drew the curtains so none of the other girls would see them as they came in.

Neither girl felt like talking so they just lay there together. Hermione’s head was swimming with questions. Mainly, she just wanted to know if her friends were alright but there was also the unanswered question of why the boys took the car and didn’t board the train with everyone else. Eventually, she drifted off to sleep, still plagued by those same questions.

...

Luna heard Hermione’s breath behind her as she stared at the curtains that surrounded them. She was right to assume that Hermione was also having trouble sleeping because of the events of that evening. Luna, however, was thinking of a different incident entirely. An incident that took place two years prior.

Luna’s mother had been a very bright witch and a gifted potion maker, perhaps the reason the sorting hat suggested Luna be sorted into Ravenclaw. She had been very fond of inventing new spells and would spend countless days hunched over a piece of parchment adjusting whatever spell she was working on. Many times, her desk would also be littered with burnt or smashed items that she was testing her spells on.

One day, when she was working on a particularly complex jinx, a nine-year-old Luna had poked her head round the door into the study and been witness to a most unfortunate incident that would haunt the girl for many years to come. An incident so gruesome and unpleasant that it ought not to be discussed in a children’s story, or any other story for that matter. It had taken a full year of magical treatment to return Luna to anything close to her usual self but, as a result, left her a bit absent-minded and, often, caused her to lose focus of her surroundings causing a blank expression on her face that her father and, as a result, Luna associated with Wrackspurts.

During this year, her father Xenophilius, editor and creator of the wizard magazine The Quibbler, had broken down in a bad way. Luna became more and more independent as he sank further into a depression. A year before she would start at Hogwarts, he seemed to get better and started throwing himself into his work which Luna was happy to help him with.

It was safe to say that the Luna who arrived on the Hogwarts express that day was a girl that was close to her father once more and, mostly, had overcome the horrible day. Bearing witness to this new tragic event brought all those feelings flooding back and, although she had better control of her emotions now, it was a feeling she would have been happy never feeling again.

As the small girl drifted to sleep beside the most comforting witch she had ever met, she tried to be thankful that, this time, she wasn’t alone in her grief.


	3. Ginny

Luna had found her first meeting with the healer from St Mungos to be quite helpful. So much so that Dumbledore organised three more that week. It was after the second meeting that Luna, in a very literal sense, ran into Hermione Granger for the second time.

She shut the door to the spare classroom behind her and began to make her way to Ravenclaw tower when she heard the shuffling footsteps of Filch, the caretaker, who Luna had heard took great pleasure in handing out punishments to any student caught out of bed. She didn’t feel like getting dragged into Snape’s, or anyone else’s, office at this time and she picked up her pace down the long, winding corridors of the school.

As she began to run, she rounded a corner, only to bump straight off the back of a bushy haired girl. She looked up and saw Hermione turning to see what had just bounced into her. Not wanting to get her into trouble, Luna leapt up and grabbed the second year by the wrist, steering her into a nearby room.

Pressing her finger to her lips to make sure Hermione didn’t alert the old caretaker, who was now muttering to himself as he passed the door, Luna held her close to the door as they both listened. The sound of Filch’s feet on the floor began to fade and, soon, couldn’t be heard at all. Luna only realised she had been holding her breath at this moment and exhaled loudly, gulping in air.

“That was close” Hermione breathed a sigh of relief, “He would have had 10 points from Gryffindor for sure, or worse”

“I heard a girl in our common room say that he took 20 points from her just for dropping a chocolate frog wrapper on the floor”

“Oh, he’ll do worse than that” huffed Hermione “We got sent into the Forbidden Forest last year as punishment for being out of bed at night”

“Well that’s very mean of him” Luna decided.

“Yes, it is isn’t it” She regarded Luna with a curious smile “I’d better get to bed it’s quite late”

“Me too” Luna replied.

Both girls slipped out of the room and checked up and down the corridor for any sign of Filch. There wasn’t.

“Well” Hermione turned to Luna “thanks a lot”

She started to turn to leave but was crushed by Luna who hugged her tight.

“Thank you” she muttered into Hermione’s great mass of hair.

Hermione hugged her back. She was growing very fond of this girl who seemed to be one of the nicest people she’d ever met. Luna finally let go before waving goodbye and skipping away down the corridor.

As Hermione stepped through the portrait hole, still smiling from her interaction with Luna, she was met with a somber scene. A collection of redheaded Gryffindors were sat on the various couches and armchairs of the common room. Professor McGonagall stood in front of the fireplace and turned to see Hermione as she entered the room.

“Miss Granger” McGonagall beckoned her into the room “sit down please”

She sat next to Ginny on the long sofa.

“I’m afraid there’s some bad news” her voice cracked as she spoke “Mr Potter and Mr Weasley were taken to St Mungo’s Hospital as you know”

Ginny took Hermione’s hand and squeezed it. She could see tears on the first year’s face.

“I’m afraid their conditions only worsened as the night progressed and they, well they passed away early the next morning”

At these words, Ginny sobbed and buried her head in Hermione’s shoulder. They had only met a few times, but Hermione felt a great rush of sympathy for the girl. Tears ran down her own face now and she hugged her back.

McGonagall continued, “The healers tried their best but the injuries they received from the whomping willow were too great. They didn’t feel any pain. They wanted you to know that”

Fred and George, overwhelmed by the situation, retreated upstairs after a minute of silence and Percy soon followed.

“I just want you to know that all of the teachers are here for you and you can talk to any of us if you need to”

The Professor bent down and, completely breaking her stern façade, hugged both girls.

“Try to rest tonight. I’ll see you both when you’re back in lessons, if not sooner”

She smiled sympathetically at the both of them before turning and exiting through the portrait hole. Ginny lifted her head and both girls looked at each other for a minute, still crying. She reminded Hermione of Ron. Not just her flaming red hair or freckles, but her eyes too. They shone with tears and seemed to bore into Hermione, filling her with guilt. Why hadn’t she checked where they were at the station? Why didn’t she stop this happening? Why had she devoted herself to her books when it didn’t even help her protect her friends? Her head was once again racing with thoughts and questions, her mind a hundred miles away.

“I can’t believe it’s really true” Ginny’s words snapped Hermione back to the common room.

“Me neither, it’s so horrible” She once again thought of Ginny at the hospital holding Ron’s hand as he led there “But you were at the hospital. I’m so sorry you had to see him like that”

“I am quite glad I got to see them one last time” the redhead sniffed and wiped her tears away on her sleeve.

Hermione felt a pang in her chest as the fact that she would never see the two boys again hit her. The fact that she didn’t get to go to the hospital with the Weasleys made a great knot in her stomach that only tightened as she looked back to Ginny.

“We should probably go to bed” Hermione started to get up, but the younger girl clutched at her hand.

“Can we lie here for a minute?” the thought was a nice one to Hermione “I don’t want to be alone right now”

An image of Luna on the night of the accident crept into Hermione’s mind and she sank back down onto the sofa. Ginny lay down next to her and rested her head on the second year’s chest. The fire warmed them both and, coupled with the warmth of each other, made them both doze off, hands still intertwined.


	4. Walls

Luna’s third session with the healer didn’t go as well as the first two, ending in Luna breaking down in tears. She had been given chocolate as she left, and it had somewhat helped her calm down and stop feeling quite so small. As she rounded a corner, nibbling on her chocolate, she thought of Hermione again and wished she had been there like last time. She hadn’t seen the older witch the last couple of days apart from the times that they were both in the great hall for meals. She had noticed the Gryffindor looking rather glumly at her empty plate on a couple of occasions and wished she could just make her feel better about the whole situation.

Professor McGonagall had informed her of the passing of the two boys and had been met with a great tirade of tears. She had managed to calm the small blonde girl down enough to suggest she try and talk to Ginny Weasley, the sister of Ron, who was in her year and, as McGonagall had put it, needed someone to cheer her up right now.

As Luna walked, she started to feel a strange sensation, like a pressing numbness at the back of her mind. She felt an intense presence. Her eyes darted up and down the corridor. No one was there. Her knees were suddenly weak, and she dropped to the floor, her head still ringing. Then, out of nowhere, the numbness stopped, and Luna’s mind was clearer than it had ever been. She stood, now knowing that something was somehow, impossibly, moving through the wall next to her. She started to follow it, but it moved too fast for her to keep up.

As she raced around the corner, she was struck by a sudden déjà vu as she once again tumbled straight into Hermione who turned to see her.

“Are you ok?” She pulled Luna to her feet “Is there a spell to check around corners? Maybe a mirror? Hermione chuckled at her own joke.

The look of shock on Luna’s face silenced Hermione who, once again, asked if the girl was ok.

“There was something” Hermione listened intently “In the wall”

A look of scepticism crossed the older girls face but Luna’s expression indicated that this was serious.

“What was it?” Hermione asked “Are you sure it wasn’t a ghost, there’s quite a few in the castle and they can move through the wa-“

She was cut short by Luna who was violently shaking her head.

“No this wasn’t a ghost” she started in the direction the seemingly evil presence was heading.

Hermione hurried to catch up with her but before she could ask another question, both witches stopped dead in their tracks. The floor was shiny, covered with water and, on the wall, Mrs Norris hung from her tail, completely motionless and, seemingly, mid-hiss. Luna rushed to the cat, splashing water onto her robes as she ran. She reached out a hand.

“Luna no!” Hermione whispered “She could be cursed”

Luna felt the cat anyway. She was cold as stone and, most surprisingly, just as hard. Hermione was edging towards her, beckoning her to come away from the scene. She glanced over Luna’s shoulder to make sure the corridor was empty but was, again, stopped dead. The wall behind Luna had red lettering sprawled across it that dripped down into little red pools in the water. Hermione clapped her hands over her mouth as she read it.

THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED  
ENEMIES OF THE HEIR… BEWARE

Luna seemed to snap back down to earth as the footsteps of students began to echo through the halls. Dinner must have finished. The two girls backed away from the scene, but it was too late, people were flooding the corridor from both sides and all of them came to a halt when they saw the cat and read the writing on the wall. 

Luna clutched Hermione’s hand tightly as they backed against the blood-stained walls, students encircling them. Some craned their necks to get a better view. Some screamed as they read the threatening message. But mostly, people stood in shock, staring at either the two girls, or the writing. They were trapped in a horrible situation. People would accuse them for sure.

Suddenly, Professor McGonagall swooped through the crowd before grabbing both girls by the arm and pulling them away from the scene and the prying eyes. A couple of students tried to follow them, but she cut sideways into a hidden corridor. No one followed them. They reached the other end of the corridor and Luna realised where they were going; Dumbledore’s office. Surely McGonagall didn’t think they did this, but who else could it have been?


End file.
